“Well, then, I think you’ve answered your own question. Clearly, the wards need more work. All the more reason to shut down visits for a time.” Zani argued.
“I’m already working on strengthening and resetting the wards in the Archives. I’d like to see another power-mad mage try to get past my powerful defenses.” Minodaura was confident to the point of imperious. “Perhaps you might want to audit my process. I understand you seem to have had a bit of trouble with your own warding of late, haven’t you?” Her aunt shot a poisoned barb at Zani’s heart, using only the timely arch of one shaggy, judgmental brow.
“I can cast my own wards, thank you very much,” Zani snapped back at her aunt. “And the Society seems to think I’m fit to run the Archives as the curator as well. They’ve put me in charge and as the person in charge,Idon’t think the archives should be open seven days a week.”
“That’s not really up to you, though, is it?” Minodaura shrugged. “It’s a public resource and the public should have their say. Should we put it to a vote already?” Minodaura tipped her head impatiently toward Zephyr and swept her arm across the room. “I’d like to hear what the people have to say about my motion.”
“I object!” Will Porter stood up abruptly, dropping a tin of lozenges to the floor. They rattled like gunfire as they hit the ground, making several people, including Zani, jump in their seats.
Minodaura narrowed her eyes at Will.
Will reached for the tin, removed a single sugared lump of candy and popped it into his mouth. He sucked on it thoughtfully for a moment before placing the tin back in his pocket. Then he spoke. “Pardon the interruption. But I believe the point is moot. This motion must be dismissed immediately.”
“On what grounds?” Minodaura huffed. “I submitted the request in writing over a week ago.”
“On the grounds that you may not raise motions at Town Hall meetings.” Will paced the length of the front of the room like a lawyer making closing arguments. He held up a finger to make his last point. “You cannot raise a motion because your name is not engraved on either one of the benches in Primrose Park!”
“But I’ve been staying here for over a week now!” Minodaura turned crimson, as she cast about for something to reinforce her case. “Surely that counts for something.”
“Her name is NOT on the benches!” A very out of breath and overweight squirrel huffed from the back of the room. He set down a stack of books on an empty seat. “I can confirm this. I’ve just come from the park now. Am I too late? Did my motion pass? Is the statue a go?”
“Shhh … let’s let Will finish.” Zephyr silenced the squirrel.
“Minodaura has indeed been here for longer than a week, but she was not here on the second Tuesday and as such, her stay in Primrose Court is not reflected on the official roster of the park benches. As only residents are authorized to raise motions at town hall meetings, this motion was called without proper authority. I submit that the motion be struck, immediately.”
Minodaura opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She clapped it shut again.
“I’m afraid Will is correct,” Zephyr said. “Motion dismissed, no changes shall be made to the schedule of the Arcane Archives at this time. I’d now like to call a ten-minute break before we move on to the next items on the agenda.”
Zani heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed back into her seat. “Thank you Will. You really saved me!” She turned to thank the man who she’d come to think of as a good friend, but never as a barrister. “That wasincredible. How did you come up with that?”
With a sly grin, Will pulled the tin from his pocket and flashed the label at her. “That’s what I was trying to tell you about. These travel sweets I picked up at the shop in London are incredibly handy, no?”
“Last Word Lozenges?” Zani read the label.
“LicoriceLast Word Lozenges.” Will stuck out his tongue, displaying the small black candy there. “Delicious. And really strong, too. They sure do work a charm!”
“Your tongue has turned black, Will.” Zani wrinkled her nose. “But you might have a point. And even if I disagreed with you, I have the feeling that I’d be a fool to argue right now.”
Will’s face crinkled as he smiled one of his signature smiles. She noticed how it altered his aura. When his face screwed up like that, it was as if the bright light within him surged and gathered, generating pressure. But all that goodness couldn’t stay contained. It leaked out through the cracks in brilliant bursts and radiant rays. The effect was dazzling and impossible to ignore.
Zani bit back her own involuntary smile. She wasn’t quite ready to admit that the porter was really starting to grow on her.
“Do you have a minute to chat, Will?” she asked him.
“What about?” Will eyed her warily. “You’re not going to ask me to take you back to that train again, are you?” There was a sudden defensive note to his tone and the light streaming from him dimmed. Zani kicked a toe at the faded rug. She had been planning to ask him again, but there was no point in it while he was sucking on the magical sweet.
“Have you finished your candy?” Zani asked.
“Yes, but there’s more where that came from.” Will shook the tin gently. “Don’t expect to win any arguments with me anytime soon.”
“I don’t want to argue.” Zani sighed. “I just want to run something by you. I came across something in the archives earlier today, a fragment of interesting text about crystals. And ley lines.”
At the mention of ley lines, Will’s ears perked up. “You have my attention…”
“Good. Shall we go somewhere and grab a bite? I’m feeling a bit peckish.”
As soon as Zani suggested getting a snack together, Will’s aura brightened again. He jumped to his feet excitedly and held out a hand to Zani. “Sounds good to me. There’s a lovely bistro in Nice that hosts a fantastic midnight omelette bar.”
