Maybe itwasmy business.
I walked along the corridor to the next intersection and paused. It was a big campus.
A light caught my eye across theatrium. The blinds were down, but…
Rounding the corner to the correct hall, I tread lightly along the corridor, counting rooms until I came to the one that should have matched the illuminated outer window.
I glanced furtively right and left. Empty hall, dimly lit, but not exactly any place for me to hide. I dropped to one knee in front of the door, pretending to tie my shoe. Voices emanated from inside, though too low to make out words.
I leaned closer, straining to hear something.
Wasn’t there some trick about putting a glass to a door? But I didn’t have a glass, I didn’t have—
I sucked in a panicked breath as a hand clamped around my shoulder.
Falling onto my butt in panic as I spun, I gazed up into Yoi’s face, her finger on her lips.
She led me to the next room over, shutting the door noiselessly behind us, and not turning on glow lamps or oil lamps. “You are a terrible spy, Theodore.”
“I can’t argue with that,” I whispered. “But they’re up to something, and it’s not cheating on geomagic.”
She nodded, moved to the wall adjacent the two rooms, and set a huge furry ear against the wall.
I listened as well, but couldn’t even hear as well as I could from the hall. I dared not move too much, I didn’t want to bump into something in the dark.
A door clunked in the hall.
Yoi gestured for me to get down as she duckedunder the instructor’s desk.
Footsteps in the hall.
Sharp. Purposeful. Angry.
I crawled on hands and knees to join her, resting my back against the cold wood, a bronze drawer handle poking into me.
The door to our room clicked open.
My hand went to my personal dagger. Would it come to combat if they found us? Hiding from monsters was instinctive, I’d learned it since I was a child, but this… not knowing if an opponent would yell, punch, or slash your throat? I held my breath. Despite the appearance of their ears, elven hearing was only slightly better than that of a human.
The door clicked shut.
We remained silent a good minute before Yoi spoke. “I didn’t get it all, but there was mention of a count and a baroness. Aldyr was the only voice I recognized, he was still a bit worked up and louder than the others.”
“Just the three of them?”
“There was a fourth. He didn’t say much, except to berate the others for not showing more initiative.”
“Anything specific?”
Yoi shook her head. “Aldyr said something about one solution for two problems.”
“Two problems.” I bit my lip. “Did he mean the two of us?”
She shrugged.
“I guess now I owe you.”
She patted my knee. “Somebody once told me mages look out for each other.”
