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“Cassie is the one who generally handles the paperwork. Mostly because she’s good at it. And of course Lisette is in charge of teaching magic.”
Nikki hesitated even stronger this time, the words coming out slowly as they eyed Gunter sideways. “I’m not…comfortable with them.”
Gunter blinked, not understanding. “Why not?”
“The dragons, I can trust. They have no way of stealing magic from me, and they don’t want to, anyway. A dragon will protect a mage. You and Ravi proved that to me. But other mages are…well, I don’t know if I can trust them. They seem to have their own agendas.”
Once again, Gunter kicked himself for not realizing the obvious. Duh, of course Nikki would be wary of other mages. They’d had no positive experiences with mages. Trust would not come easy there.
Feeling mostly out of his depth with this conversation, Gunter forged ahead anyway. “But you are choosing to stay here anyway? Because of the dragons?”
“Well, yeah. And I trust you.” Nikki’s expression was the epitome of artless innocence.
Gunter looked at that expression and felt a little bad about trying to foist Nikki off on someone else. Nikki might have imprinted on Gunter because of what happened on the battlefield. But that, too, was understandable. With everything shifting in Nikki’s world, of course they’d latch onto something. Gunter just happened to be the something.
If Gunter could get them started on a path, let them gain confidence on their own, then they’d naturally stop hiding down here.
Not that Gunter hid down here. His work was here, that was all. And he worked long hours. It wasn’t hiding.
Why was he arguing with himself?
Anyway. Nikki. Confidence. Focus.
“For the record, I trust every mage in this clan with my life. That’s no exaggeration, either—it’s been put to the test multiple times through the years. I know it might take you a while to warm up to them, and that’s fine. There’s no rush on this. But I don’t want you sitting here because you don’t know what to do next.”
A soft, sweet smile stole over Nikki’s face. “Thanks, Gunter. I may need a little direction. I don’t know what’s against the clan’s rules, what liberties I have. And you say magic lessons, but is there like…a school? Or is this more a Jedi-Apprentice thing?”
“Not a school, and nothing like master and student. We’re rather in between. At this point, I believe Lisette has about eighteen students. She teaches all of them according to their schedules. Some are more advanced than others, so they have shorter lessons. Others need something more comprehensive. She’ll test you first, figure out where to start. You said earlier your parents taught you some things?”
“Little spells, yeah. The basics of magic. I was only ten when I was taken, so…not a lot.”
Gunter wanted to ask many more questions but sensed Nikki wasn’t comfortable with the topic. Now was not the right time. “Then she’ll want to test you first. After you get a better footing with magic”—Nikki’s mouth opened with wild glee—“that doesn’t involve explosions,” Gunter tacked on dryly.
Nikki immediately deflated again.
“You’ll review with the other mages all the tasks that need to happen in the clan and pick which responsibilities you want to take on.”
With a snap, Nikki perked back up. “I’ve been wondering about that! No one’s asked me to do anything. I didn’t think I could just loaf around without earning my keep somehow. So the mages work?”
“They work a great deal. We maintain a beauty product line to keep a steady income flowing in. Our products used to be subtly enhanced with magic, but ever since Ravi took us out of the closet, we’ve been more open with it all. The orders have been pouring in, and I think our mages are struggling to keep up with the demand. They’ll welcome another hand.”
“Oh.” Nikki went back to chewing on their bottom lip uncertainly. “So…this is a group effort?”
“Very much so. The mages spend the full day together some days, just making potions. I’ve been roped into helping more than once. Mostly to fetch more ingredients.”
Nikki didn’t seem very enthused by this idea. Gunter mentally sighed and resigned himself to being patient. Nikki’s trauma wasn’t something easily dismissed. A few encouraging words wouldn’t be enough to send them out the door.
Gunter and every dragon in this clan would be the first to agree they’d fight to protect any mage in trouble. They’d lay their lives on the line without blinking. After five hundred years without mages, Gunter felt very strongly about that. But sometimes, it was easier to wrap his head around dashing off to fight than to buckle himself down to something more day-to-day. And sometimes, he had to remind himself physical safety wasn’t the only thing a mage might need.
Right now, Nikki was safe. But they weren’t well. They were still scared on some level, still nervous, and while they’d chosen to stay, Nikki still didn’t see this place as home. It pained Gunter to see it.
