CHAPTER 23: MISCHIEF AT MISTLETIDE
The birds took wing, some falling to the Black Snow, some escaping unscathed in the highest reaches of the sky where the air was still pure.
Sweet silence ushered Bridget from sleep’s feathered touches and into the dry, arid realm of being awake. The absences of the slow, soft breaths and occasional snores of her housemates were gone, replaced with a hefty layer of blessed silence. Slowly stretching, Briddy kicked the blanket off her legs, the morning heat of the desert already making the soft blue covers of the duvet uncomfortable. She looked to the side, out across the row of empty four-poster beds, their curtains drawn back in an identical line all the way to the large glass window at the end of the room. Pale light trickled over the lumpy shapes of dunes on the horizon, buttercup-yellow fingers slowly stretching out over the many shapes of the Palanquin’s buildings as though to gently jostle them awake.
Were she at home for this time of year, awakening to the sight of the small row of windows that lines her childhood room, she would have expected to see a soft blanket of muffling snowflakes piling up on the cills, silhouetting the trees and stretching out over the hilly countryside with its black flakes. If she squinted, the dunes could almost be mistaken for the lumps of the land near the Northern Fingers, but it wasn’t quite the same as home.
Bridget sat up suddenly. Not that she was missing home. Especially not with the thunderous disapproval of Kerr hanging over her like a sword on a wire. Still, she glanced over at the Keepedish as she reached for the silver feather pin on her bedside table, hoping to see a message with her family’s handwriting within. The copper basin was empty, mechanical arms still and lifeless as the metal winked up at her as if to signal a ‘hello’ in a letter’s absence.
Jamming the pin in, she clipped back the chunks of loose hair that tumbled around her face and swung her legs out of bed. She meandered her way over to the door, swinging it open and entering into the common area beyond.
Candles were perched atop every service, their wicks twisted and black after a night spent in flame. Strings of pine branches sprouted and curled around the edges of tables, counters, and around every door frame, small luminescent berries of red and white letting off light from within the thick bounty of their deep green needles. Even the carpet that laid down the long hallway had been turned red, the holiday spirit connecting the bathrooms, stairs, and lounging areas in a festive streak. No houseminder to bother her today.
Padding to the blue tile of the bathroom, Briddy went about getting ready for the day, spending far too long in the shower and enjoying the extra water that her housemates would have moved. By the time she exited, a bowl of fruit and bread had been laid out on one of the circular tables, offering a simple breakfast to anyone feeling the urge. Plucking out a green-skinned piece, Briddy made her way outside, biting into its dark flesh as she wandered her way about campus for a while.
She tried to force her mind from the memories of home, of the holidays spent alongside her family. If nothing else, Mistletide was one of the few times she had seen her father smile, his shoulders relaxed and a hand wrapped around her mother’s. Briddy kicked at a spare rock. Maybe he would be even happier without her there this year. That was why he had sent the message, had he not? Two lines scrawled across a badly torn piece of paper, barring her from returning home and demanding she use the week-long break to better train herself.
Finishing her fruit, she tossed the stem into the bushes near the fancy dorms, making her way through the trees and up to the front steps. As she went to open the door, it swung open, pushed along by Instructor Hennigan’s taut hand. The fuzz that covered his head failed to hide the ugly, puckering scar that ran across it from front to back, the thin hair seeming almost transparent against the morning sun. Upon seeing her, he sighed, taking a step back so that she could pass inside. “What are you doing here, Vasily?” He said in a long-suffering voice.
“I’m wondering the same of you, sir.” She shot back in a tight voice.
“I stay here, alongside other teachers, girl. Perhaps if you paid better attention, you might’ve noticed.”
Bridget looked around the wide, open common area of the house. Identical couches of blue trimmed with red created a circle in the center of the room, lined the walls and stretched out near one of the two fireplaces. “Isn’t this where students stay?” She asked, keeping her tone innocent.
“Students whose parents are rich enough to afford this place pay for in-house tutoring.” Asher’s voice replied as he came sauntering down the staircase, black curls bouncing with each step. “Merry Mistletide” He tipped Briddy a wink and turned to Hennigan a mischievous grin “Our good Instructor here just so happens to be stuck babysitting me over the holidays.”
“They’re one-hour sessions, Miltark, outside of which I am blessedly rid of you and your…” His eyes flicked over at Bridget “Choice of company.”
“And my day is made richer for each moment spent in yours, sir,” Asher replied without missing a beat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me and my company.” He threw an arm around Bridget’s shoulders and steered her towards the door. “You know what they say about too much of a good thing.”
Hennigan said nothing in reply, and once they were a safe distance from the Upper Dorms, Asher released Bridget from his hold. “You’re welcome.”
“I could’ve handled him,” Bridget replied, adjusting her Shroud so that the semi-sheer fabric sat straight on her shoulders once more.
“I’m sure you’re more than capable, but my way might involve less chance of landing us a punishment.”
She playfully scoffed, following the curly-headed boy into the woods surrounding the dorm, watching as dappled sunlight played off the narrow set of his shoulders. Briddy reminded herself that she was lucky to have any company at all over the break, let alone a friend like Asher. It could have just as easily been someone horrible, like Niles.
A small cry startled her as Asher suddenly darted into the foliage around them. When Briddy leaned around the tree he had darted behind, she found him crouched near the roots, gently nudging the caps of some bright orange mushrooms.
“Bellamacosa!” He said happily.
“Is that supposed to mean something?” Briddy asked, cocking her head to the side as she leaned forward against the bark.
“Not on its own, no, but if properly utilized, well…” Light danced in Asher’s eyes as he stood, tucking a few shoots of the fungs into his pocket. “Things can be interesting.”
He bounced off ahead, head sweeping back and forth as he searched for more mushrooms.
Any Arcane insights that you want to offer on him, Vex? Briddy silently asked as she followed along behind.
Reckless, with the charm to pay the cost. The voice within her replied, quieter than usual.
Briddy pushed, smashing any resistance that arose in the path to focus on their connection. Is that a good thing?
It is a dangerous one. Vex fell silent after those words, despite several attempts to push further from Briddy. Weird. Shaking her head, she caught up to Asher at the edge of the woods, where he had paused to wait for her. Chatting casually, they wandered the campus, discussing classes and teachers, and the occasional piece of guild gossip.
“I’m wondering.” Briddy said, “Where do the older students stay?”
“So that’s a no to the library then?” Asher said, glancing at the half-sunken dome to their right.
“We were there all day yesterday. I don’t think I can take another one of the twins hovering and smiling creepily at me so soon.”
“Fair enough.” He shrugged, looking over at her with a scamp’s grin. “Maybe they just like looking at pretty girls.”
Bridget sighed, glancing off towards the distant dunes. “I doubt it.” She murmured. “More to the point of my earlier thought, there’s only three dorm houses, right? So where do the upperclassmen sleep?”
“Maybe in an underground building? I’ve seen them climbing into hatches in the ground.”
“Maybe.”
The pair spent the latter part of the day trying to track down the few older students that had stayed over the break, finding little success in spotting Shrouds of different colors other than the green they wore. For the most part, empty stone paths coated the campus in solitary lines, devoid of life and occurrence like the blank pages of a book.
After they got tired of the heat and a fruitless endeavor, they took shelter in Honor House common room, fiddling with a couple of spells for Asher, who attempted to help Briddy do the same.
“Enkandes. Enkandes. En-kan-des.” She irritably flicked her fingers as she attempted once again to get the light spell to behave.
Asher looked over. “Take it slower.” He said gently, leaning forward and closing his hand around the one she had been waving around. “And less hand waving. It doesn’t help, you know.”
“I-” She cut herself off, looking down at their hands. It wasn’t a romantic hold of anything like that, she told herself, watching the way his slim fingers encapsulated her own. He was just trying to help, it didn’t mean anything. At least that was what she told herself.
“Am I interrupting something?” A husky voice asked. Gail stood in the doorway, her dark skin covered with thin lines of white, pink, and green swirling in circuitous patterns across her cheeks, down her neck, and even the tips of her fingers. Dots of different pale blues and oranges were intermixed among the patterns, though the effect was somewhat ruined by a smudging that suggested someone had tried to rub them off.
“Gail!” Briddy sprang from her seat with a cry, rushing over to hug her friend.
“I see celebrations in the Pits are as lively as ever,” Asher commented behind her. “Back a bit early though, aren’t we?”
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The tall girl ignored him as she accepted Briddy’s embrace, squeezing her hard before letting go.
“What are you doing here?” Bridget asked, unable to keep the delight from her voice.
“I came back after a day. My dads are being overbearing morons and it’s suffocating.” Gently tugging on the end of Briddy’s ponytail, she glanced over to where Asher still sat. “What’s Warrin’s clone doing here?”
Shooting her a dazzling smile, the man in question threw his feet up on the table. “Mom’s on a hunt for Titan’s Breath in the Western Wilds, dad took a contract near the Neck. Empty house for the holidays seemed boring, so I stayed here instead.” He spoke with a casual tone.
“I see,” Gail replied witheringly.
“We were just working on some spells, do you want to join?” Briddy gestured towards the common area.
A small wrinkle of distaste appeared on Gail’s face as she scrunched her nose. “No, that sounds tedious. The Headmistress sent me to gather you guys for gifts and Mistletide dinner anyways.”
Surprised, Briddy looked out over her friend’s painted shoulder and saw that evening had already begun casting its dusky pallor over the dunes outside.
“I didn’t realize it had gotten so late.” Readjusting her clip, she shoved a few wisps of stray hair underneath the pin and closed the silver clasp.
“Well, shall we get going then?” Asher unfolded from his chair, stretching out his limbs.
Briddy answered with a nod and a smile, and together the trio wandered their way out of Honor House and towards the shifting structure of the Palisade, their way lit by hundreds of floating Mistletide Candles, lining each of the pale stone paths in perfect symmetry.
As they climbed the steps up to the dining area, Briddy caught Gail watching her out of the corner of her eye, head still pointed forward. When she tilted her chin in question, her friend shot her a quick smile, but did not respond otherwise. They exited into the pillared expanse of the Palisade’s stretching embrace, the many tables that usually scattered across the room completely gone. In their place, an enormous bundle of thick, braided bows of yule sprung up from the floor, blue-green needles frosted with glittering black. Sprouting from the tree like grapes on a vine were different presents, wrapped in a multitude of colors and tied off with tags and bows.
Beyond the Mistletide bough was a large rectangular table full of settings, the polished woods positively groaning under platters of food, tiered trays of treats and pitchers glistening with iced drinks. It was already partially filled, quite a few teachers had coalesced around one end to pleasantly exchange conversation about their days. Doctor Nguyen, who was seated to the right of the head of the table, looked up at them as they entered, a gentle smile gracing the imposingly tall woman’s face.
“Sit wherever you like, children, yes?” She gestured to the table at large. Her long, pale hair was braided up on top of her head and wrapped with a bright scarf, swirling lines almost identical to Gail’s racing across her dark skin in tendrils of gold and white.
A moment’s consideration drove Briddy away from the end of the table where the teachers had gathered, and instead, she directed the trio towards the other side, where a lone student in a red and white shroud sat, poring over a book. The shaggy-haired girl continued to ignore them as they took seats nearby, so they left her well enough alone in favor of taking in the food around them. A roasted leg of meat took center stage, and dishes of crispy fingerling potatoes lay nearby. Loaves of bread perched in wicker baskets covered with cloth, different shapes, and sizes of crust offering a pick of the Embrace’s diverse baked goods. Silver boats of gravy with fluted spouts pointed towards a dish of fluffy mashed potatoes, yellow pats of butter still melting on the top.
Briddy noticed Gail’s hand sneaking towards a tower of confections seated near them, each tier holding at least a dozen varieties of tarts, cookies and cakes topped in different fruits and icing.
“Isn’t dessert supposed to be last?” She murmured, elbowing her friend.
“You talking like this,” Gail popped a raspberry tartlet into her mouth and swallowed it whole. “will ruin my appetite.”
Asher chuckled from her other side. When they had approached the table, Gail had quickly slid into the spot beside him before Briddy could sit down, so instead, she had found her seat at the end.
Gradually, the chairs around them filled up with people, only a small handful wearing the Shrouds of students. Terna swept in, dressed in a suit of black embroidered with gold vines, behind a boy in the yellow of upper years. Shooing him into a seat before taking her spot at the head of the table, the headmistress cleared her throat before addressing the assembled group.
“I’m glad you could all attend our festivities today. I won’t be long, I will simply express the gratitude I have that those assembled could be present, and encourage you to fully celebrate the generosity of our celebration for the first harvest after the Fall. The legend states that after the Titaness struck the earth, a Yulecrow flew across the sky, blessing the land to be fertile once more with its fallen feathers. It-” She was interrupted by Doctor Nguyen tugging on her sleeve, leaning down to receive a whisper from her.
“And reports of its ferocity towards early Guildhunters are highly exaggerated.” She added, straightening back up. “Now eat, be merry, and remember that all good things are enjoyed in moderation. The headmistress sunk her diminutive frame into the chair, reaching for the silver goblet placed in front of her. At the motion, the rest of the table broke into a flurry of motion and ‘pass the potatoes’, with only small amounts of squabbling from the students over who got to serve themselves first.
Dinner passed by in a flash of silver and the clink of cups and was soon forgotten in favor of the presents dangling from the Mistletide Bough. The crinkling sounds of torn wrapping paper filled the air, and goblets were filled with a spiced, sweet wine that the staff drank deeply. By the time spots of pink had begun to glow in Doctor Maistwel’s cheeks, a bounty of gifts surrounded those present. Briddy spotted Hennigan unwrapping a cup made of black stone, while Lady Carmine dangled a pair of intricate earrings shaped like the sunrise and filled with Rubies.
Looking down at the partially unwrapped book in her hands, Bridget swallowed a small sigh. A Comprehensive Guide to Weight Control peeked out from underneath a tag written in her mother’s neat hand, and she set it to the side atop the small, poorly wrapped, partially-used whetstone from her father. Nearby, a set of new boots made of soft, fawn-colored leather sat, her sibling’s gift much more welcome even if Briddy thought it to be somewhat mundane.
“Asher, what is this?” Gail inquired, turning what looked to be a sphere inside another sphere upside down.
“You hold it when you start getting angry and it’s supposed to help you calm down. A lovely bauble for a lovely lady.” He replied, shooting her a crooked grin. Gail made as if to throw it at his head, but the chuckle that escaped her belied any real threat of harm.
Asher unwrapped the set of protective gloves Briddy had got him as a present and looked over at her with an amused expression. “I’m assuming this is about the paste?” The curly-headed boy said.
“If it’s going to burn you, you should use these.” Briddy tapped the purple leather with one finger.
“This one’s from me.” Gail thrust a small package wrapped with red paper towards her.
Tearing the paper open, Bridget removed a small black box, which held a simple filigree bracelet made of silver within, the delicate strands of metal twining around one another in sinuous perpetuity. “It’s beautiful Gail, thank you.” She remarked, slipping it on her wrist and admiring the way the pale metal caught the light.
“Matches your hair clip thingy,” Gail muttered, shrugging one shoulder like she didn’t care.
“Exquisite, just like its owner,” Asher remarked, leaning over to look.
“Flirt.” Gail scolded, swatting at the back of his head while Briddy tried to hide the flush that rose to her cheeks. Her two friends devolved into a playful squabble, and the evening began to wear long. The trio found themselves back at the table, whinging about upcoming mid-year testing they were expected to complete once the break was over. Clumps and clusters of staff and older students were gathered at different sections of the table, and thick meadnog had been served as a final treat for the night.
“I’m never going to complete Cardenas’ essay.” Gail groaned before suddenly standing up.
“You alright?” Briddy asked,
“Bathroom,” Gail replied urgently, sidling out and heading for the stairs. Bridget watched her go, considering whether or not she should follow, but decided to stay. Turning around, she glanced across a couple of black and white shrouded students, their heads bent in some private conversation, before looking over at Asher. The curly-headed boy was looking intently down the table towards where the teachers were gathered, tongue slightly clasped between his teeth as his brow twitched in intense focus.
Leaning over Gail’s empty seat, Bridget spotted his hand, stiffly held in a straight line with his gaze, and put the pieces together rather quickly. Bolting upright, she took a look around the table. None of the teachers, deep in their cups and enjoying the rich, fruity meadnog, seemed to notice anything amiss, but after a few seconds of searching, Bridget spotted a small round flask of clear crystal innocuously floating its way through their goblets. A tip here, a splash there, the pale yellow liquid inside dribbled its way into their drinks.
“Asher!” Bridget hissed through gritted teeth, leaning towards him.
“What? It’s harmless.” He murmured, not breaking his line of sight. “Plus, it’ll make for an interesting end to the evening.”
“You’ll get us in trouble!”
“Want to help?” His bright eyes darted toward her, an unspoken challenge in their blue depths.
“Asher,” Bridget said, her tone scolding.
He raised an eyebrow. “Come on, live a little Briddy.” He muttered, directing the flask along its path.
It cannot hurt to test new waters. Vex murmured within her.
I can’t believe you’re endorsing this. She replied, a small current of indecision rattling her earlier stance against the mischief.
Their cups will make them lenient.
Briddy’s eyes darted around the table, hovering on the flushed cheeks and slurred speech that graced some of the staff. She leaned back in. “Alright, fine.”
He smiled at her, as if not believing the answer, and something warmed around the corners of his dazzling eyes. “Perfect. Move a chair over and keep talking to me so I don’t seem suspicious. No one would fault me for chatting up a pretty girl.”
“Uh-huh,” Briddy responded, scooting over. “And what’s the plan after they figure this out?”
Asher’s smile grew to a wicked grin. “Chaos.”
“What are you dragging her into?” Gail demanded, returning from her earlier excursion.
“Nothing damning.” Asher twinkled at her.
Gail’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as Bridget tugged her down into the spot she had just abandoned. “It’s just a little fun.” She coaxed.
“What does it do?”
“Messes with their speech a bit.” The alchemist replied, dosing the last few cups. “Only lasts a little while though.”
Gail was silent for a moment before looking up, a smile quirking at the corners of her mouth. “You’re going to get in so much trouble.”
“That didn’t take much,” Briddy observed, raising an eyebrow at her.
“It’s relatively harmless, and I’m always down for some fun.”
The trio huddled in and watched as the teachers sipped at their cups, nodding sagely at whatever story Doctor Maistwel was waxing on about. After a short delay, Headmistress Terna gave a stretch, patting away the yawn that crept from her mouth. “Soon bed for time.” She said, brow slamming dangerously low as she finished speaking.
Doctor Nguyen looked over at her with a creased brow. “To you mean-” The statuesque woman cut herself off.
True to Asher’s word, chaos erupted, as all of the teachers talked over one another with increasing frustration.
“Time to make an exit,” Asher said softly, tugging on Briddy, who notified Gail. The three of them gathered up their gifts and started to make their way to the exit, the garbled grammar of their teachers giving cover.
“World the in what-”
“Drinks the check-”
And then, as the group was halfway down the stairs, they unmistakably heard: “MILTARK!”
Breaking into a run, they burst out onto the white stone paths, their way back to the dorm houses punctuated by the sounds of breathless laughter and slamming footsteps, and lit by floating candles in the night.