Lucky Rabbit

Pandy was becoming entirely too used to the routine of hospitals and infirmaries. That was the one good thing about her past life – other than the occasional injury, she never needed any real medical attention. Which was good, because she usually couldn’t afford it anyway. But Thaniel, for all that he had enough energy to run a small city, had spent some time in the infirmary pretty much every week since they’d arrived. If it wouldn’t have seemed like a betrayal of Augustus – who might or might not be her boyfriend now – she might have admitted to a niggling of doubt over the efficacy of the school’s security.

But the day passed, as they did, and by evening, no one could deny that Thaniel was fine. He was also incredibly wiggly, and had clearly become suspicious of his food, sniffing each bite as if it might be poisoned, and refusing to drink anything but water.

“I’m not sick,” he told a frustrated Timon, who held a rejected cup of tea. It was nearing the end of dinner time, and Thaniel wanted to return to his own room and his own bed, but the healer had to sign off before he could leave, and she hadn’t been in to check on Thaniel since lunch.

“It’s more than my job is worth to let you go,” Timon said bluntly, holding out the tea again. “You’re supposed to drink this, so-”

The door opened, admitting a frazzled Mistress Rose. Her usually tidy coiffure was coming loose, and her mouth looked odd. Her eyes were soft and unfocused, and when someone in the hall said ‘Good night’, her cheeks blazed red. Turning to see two boys and a rabbit staring at her in astonishment, her color deepened even as she pointed to Thaniel and said, “You’re released. Wash up before you go to bed tonight. If you feel odd, send for me immediately.”

Transferring the digit to Timon, she said, “We’re low on Perido extract. I expect three bottles on my desk, first thing in the morning.”

“But Mistress-” Timon started, then took a step back, bumping into Thaniel’s bed. “Yes, Mistress Rose,” he mumbled, then turned and all but ran through the door that led directly down to the Still Room on the first floor.

That left the healer, Thaniel, and Pandy alone together, and Mistress Rose pulled the curtain closed around Thaniel’s bed without another word, allowing the boy some privacy while he dressed. He did so with a haste that showed he was either afraid she would change her mind or just slightly wary of the woman in general, then tucked Pandy under his arm and abandoned his hospital gown on the bed.

Tiptoeing out past the curtain, they saw that the healer was patting her cheeks with water from the little sink at the far end of the room, and she had tucked her hair back into place. She looked up when Thaniel wished her a good evening, and almost seemed like her usual slightly crabby self. She just waved Thaniel away, and boy and bunny slipped into the hall.

The lights were dim, which meant it was late, but Thaniel had refused to eat anything except a bit of plain bread, at least once his sniff test revealed nothing strange in the warm, yeasty scent. A rumbling growl rose up from the vicinity of his belly, and he glanced down at Pandy, who stared back up at him, wide-eyed.

“I wonder if Mr. Farrier’s still in the kitchen,” Thaniel whispered, and Pandy perked up. She didn’t have to eat, but her sensitive nose told her there’d been some kind of baked apple dessert that night, and she would very much like to know if there were any leftovers.

Together, they crept down the stairs that led into the hall at the back of the dining room. It was time for the students to be in their rooms, but there were still sounds coming from the kitchen, and when Thaniel poked his head in, they saw Mr. Farrier, along with two younger people, all cheerfully chatting as they cleaned. The biggest surprise, however, was that Abbington was one of those young people.

They all turned when they heard the door creak, and a welcoming smile wreathed the chef’s face. “Thaniel, come in! I was worried when your dinner came back almost untouched. Are you ready to try again?”

Abbington looked startled, then pleased, then worried, then cautiously happy again, but he didn’t speak as Thaniel entered the room. Something shifted at the back of the kitchen, near the ovens, and Pandy looked in that direction to see Brook, with her square nose resting on the edge of a large, gently steaming tub. Her eyes were almost closed, and she huffed a contented little sigh, evoking the sound of quiet sloshing.

Thaniel set Pandy down, and she was torn between the food Mr. Farrier was already removing from the magical cold-room and going over to see what the capybara was up to. When the cook mentioned that he would need a few minutes to heat up the food, the decision was made, and Pandy started hopping.

Someone had provided the capybara with a steaming hot bath, and she was thoroughly enjoying it. Pandy stood on her hind legs and poked her nose over the edge of the large wooden tub, catching a pleasant herbal scent drifting off the water. She eyed it longingly. Yes, she’d played in the pool a week or so ago, but that water was cool, and the attempted murder part really brought her relaxation level down.

Brook huffed a bit, blowing warm droplets in Pandy’s face. She blinked them off her eyelashes, but more glittered from her whiskers. Had that been intentional? Her vision went slightly fuzzy, and she blinked again, but when her eyes closed she caught a glimpse of something, so she closed them again. Two stretched ovals, protruding from… were those rabbit ears in water?

A sense of gentle amusement touched her mind, and Pandy was absolutely certain it wasn’t her own emotion. She stared at Brook, who shifted to one side invitingly. A bit of water sloshed over the side, and Abbington was instantly there, mop in hand, ready to clean it up.

Pandy looked from the boy to the capybara, ears twitching. Abbington’s glasses fogged up as he crouched down to scratch his wet elemental between her small, round ears, and she gave a clicking purr, eyes closing completely as her chin submerged until just her nostrils, eyes, and ears poked out of the water. Her legs stretched out in front of her, toes splayed.

“Y’c’n getin,” Abbington murmured softly, looking straight at Pandy. Apparently her interest hadn’t exactly been subtle. Hesitantly, she stretched up, putting her front paws into the tub, so her toes almost touched the surface of the water. She could jump in, but she’d probably splash water everywhere.

Hands clutched her ribs as Abbington lifted her into the air, then gently lowered her into the tub. He went slowly, waiting to see if she’d jerk away from the hot water, which any normal rabbit would probably have done, but Pandy felt her muscles relax, her feet sagging into the water. Fur floated up around her, and she stopped breathing as the surface of the water passed over her head, only realizing that that probably looked bad when she glimpsed Abbington’s dismayed expression through the ripples above her.

Brook’s nose slid beneath Pandy’s belly, and the capybara flipped her up into the air, until Pandy landed on some warm but slightly prickly surface. Glancing down, Pandy realized that she was sprawled on Brook’s back, and as the capybara once more submerged herself, Pandy, too, sank mostly below the surface. They stopped with Brook’s nostrils blowing gentle ripples across the steaming water, and Pandy’s head resting between Brook’s ears. Her own ears were floating on the water, her body completely limp.

She lost track of time after that. Food was definitely served, because she smelled it, but nothing was going to pull her out of her bliss a moment before she had to move. The boys were talking, at first excitedly, then with more caution, but even the worry in Thaniel’s voice couldn’t pull Pandy away from the first hot bath she’d ever been able to enjoy – mainly because it wasn’t actually possible for her to drown anymore.

But eventually the water cooled, plates and silverware clattered as they were washed, and small, familiar hands lifted Pandy from the water, wrapping her in a thick, warm towel. Brook emerged as well, somehow managing to leave every drop of water in the tub, so she didn’t even leave wet footprints on the floor as she and Abbington headed for the door that led out to the gardens.

“Are you certain you won’t stay with me and Emily, lad?” Jonah Farrier asked as a chill wind entered through the door. “It’s only going to get colder.”

“Nah, thankee, sir,” Abbington returned politely as Pandy struggled to free her head from Thaniel’s vigorous toweling-off. “Stables’re warmnuff.”

Thaniel flipped Pandy over, rubbing her belly dry, and the heavy fabric dropped away, letting her see as the door closed behind Abbington and the capybara. Mr. Farrier turned to his young helper and said, “Drain that, Erica, and I’ll be back to help clean up in a minute.”

The girl shrugged and smiled. “I’ve got it, sir.” She tilted her head toward a large bundle on a counter nearby. “You’ve already done so much for us. It’s the least I can do.”

Mr. Farrier hesitated, saw the stubborn expression on the girl’s freckled face, and sighed. “All right then, lass. Tell your mother there’ll be more where that came from. She’s to focus on recovering, and not worry how she’s going to feed you lot.”

Erica’s eyes glittered, and she sniffled, then bowed deeply. “I’ll do that, sir. Thank you.”

Thaniel carried Pandy out into the hall, and Mr. Farrier followed them. They walked along in companionable silence until Thaniel finally burst out, “It’s really nice of you, helping that girl.”

They’d reached the stairs leading up to where the teachers and staff lived, and Mr. Farrier paused at the bottom of the steps. He smiled at Thaniel, then patted Pandy’s head gently. “Nice or no, it’s the right thing to do. Kindnesses that seem small and inconsequential to the giver may make all the difference to the person who receives them.”

Thaniel nodded, expression thoughtful, and Mr. Farrier made his way up the stairs, his steps slow and tired, in spite of his cheerful demeanor. Thaniel headed on towards his room, through the quiet halls, past Ms. Davenport and Mr. Musgrave’s rooms. The girls’ hall supervisor poked her head out, gave him a narrow look, but didn’t comment, so she must have been told he was on his way. Mr. Musgrave didn’t even bother to open his door.

Thaniel’s feet moved more and more slowly as they approached their room, until he finally came to a halt in front of their door. Isidor’s name was still on the plaque, which made Pandy breathe a sigh of relief. She hoped Augustus would have told her if he’d been sent away already, but then she’d started to worry that it was implied, and they’d arrive to find an empty room.

Rather than opening the door, however, Thaniel turned away, heading further down the hall. When he reached the painting of the winding trail, he reached down and pressed against the board at the bottom of the wainscoting beneath it. There was a soft click, and the panel swung open. Thaniel hurried through, closing the door behind them, then hesitated.

“Can you make a light?” he whispered into the darkness. “I need to talk to Geri.”

Pandy cast Radiant Presence, which Thaniel hadn’t seen before, and she immediately had a feeling she was going to regret showing it to him. He grinned, lifting her out of the towel so he could see her properly. “You’re so beautiful, Bunny!” he told her, her soft radiance reflecting from his brilliant blue eyes and golden hair. He really did look like an angel, and Pandy almost didn’t mind that she was going to end up his de facto nightlight for the foreseeable future.

They made their way down the narrow stairs, the thick dust still pushed up in piles where Thaniel had lain after he used Dark magic to heal Pandy. Now she knew that his heartstone had probably been hurting him, but he’d never shown a sign of it, not even to her.

After making sure the corridor was clear, Thaniel crawled out into the girls’ hall, leaving dust bunnies the size of eggs behind him. He was at least aware enough to notice it, and cleaned them away with the towel that had been wrapped around Pandy before tossing it back into the secret passage. Then he made his way down the hall, checking all of the plaques until he came to the half-empty one that said ‘Geraldine’ in graceful script. Hesitantly, he raised his hand and knocked.