Page 27 of The Banshee and the Warlock

"That's okay," I assure it, ignoring the warlock for the moment. "If neither of us has anything, it's still an even exchange, right?"

Caw.

"So, do you want to come?" Not knowing what else to do, I hold out my arm and kind of pat it.

The raven studies me, and for one moment, I think it's going to fly off again. Instead, it hops towards me and flaps its wings, coming to rest on my shoulder and completely ignoring the arm I offered it.

"I don't even know if you're male or female." Which isn't something I ever thought would bother me, but I want the raven to know that I care about it.

"I can fix that." Cethin clicks his fingers, and some purple smoke rises from his fingers. It floats towards the raven, who doesn't seem in the slightest bit bothered by the spell. "She's female."

"Okay, so I can stop thinking of her as an it, then." I reach up and stroke the raven's head.

He nods. "And you should give her a name."

"What if she doesn't like it?" She pushes her head against my fingers in what seems like an acceptance of my affection. Or maybe it's a demand for more. I don't speak raven very well, though it seems like it's going to be a skill I need to learn. Hopefully, there's still space in Familiar Training class. And time in my schedule for it.

"Then I'm sure she'll bite you or something."

"Do birds even bite?"

"I don't know enough about ravens to be sure. Maybe it's just a peck?"

"All right. How about Midnight?" I ask the raven.

She pushes her beak against my fingers.

"Ow, okay. Not Midnight. Erm...Swiftwing?"

She repeats the motion while Cethin stands there and watches with amusement clear on his face.

"Okay, okay. Thistle?" I hold my breath while I wait for the raven to let her displeasure be known, but this time she doesn't do anything. "Thistle it is."

"It's a good name," Cethin agrees.

"It is."

"Come on, let's get to the classroom before anyone catches us here," he says, reminding me that we're still in the middle of the courtyard and that curfew was hours ago. Maybe the staff don't patrol the building as much as they claim to.

"Maybe they should have thought about that before putting the student flats in the same building as the rest of the academy. I understand locking the labs, but why keep us out of places like the courtyard?"

He shrugs. "Maybe they're worried about all the mischief that we could get up to. Or perhaps the castle is haunted, and they're just trying to keep us away from the ghosts."

"Ghosts hardly seem like they'd be that big of a deal compared to some of the students."

"I don't have an explanation for you," he says. "We're just here, so we have to abide by the rules."

"Or actively choose to ignore them," I respond.

He chuckles. "Yes, or that. So let's go break some more." He takes my hand in his.

I don't mind breaking the rules so much when it's with someone like him.

Chapter 12

Cethin

I glance at Anja to make sure she's okay, and she gives me a reassuring smile in response. I know that breaking into a classroom is reckless, even if it is for a good reason, but that's not going to stop me. If this potion can help her, then it'll be worth it.