Lucky Rabbit

Just after six in the morning, Pandy slipped out of school and flew back to Avington House so she could check on Eleanor, Isidor, and Empress Glory. They had settled into an easy routine that felt like a real family, albeit one without a proper adult in the mix. Glory was definitely more of the big sister type – or maybe a disinterested and vaguely antisocial older cousin who occasionally babysat for pocket change –  than a parent figure, but neither Isidor nor Eleanor needed much parenting, so it was all right for now.

When Pandy returned to Falconet, she hopped up to Augustus’s apartment, where she found him sitting at his small table with Professor Beeswick, sipping on cups of tea while a third cup waited for Pandy. Pandy usually snuck Thaniel back to his room in the morning so he could go to breakfast when the bell rang, but Augustus had taken care of it today, so the pillows and blankets that turned the couch into a bed had been tucked away again.

Augustus smiled when Pandy slipped in, and waved to the third cup of tea. There was something a little sad and tired about that smile this morning, and she tried to add a little extra warmth to her smile when she sat down. His smile warmed a bit in response, and he started speaking before she could even take her first sip of tea. “Pandora, if it’s all right with you, would you tell us what happened last night? What you saw, nothing more.”

Pandy told them. She didn’t include her own guesses or thoughts, just the events as she’d seen them. They had her go back over when she found Lamonia crying in the hall, then the arrival of the owl with the message. When she was done, they all sat in silence and sipped their tea until Professor Beeswick spoke.

“Lamonia and Lamont Kimball are twins, currently nine years old, the only children of Lord and Lady Kimball. Lord Kimball is a minor lord with a small estate on the eastern edge of Knightmere. He has no direct ties to any of the people we’ve been investigating. Lady Kimball, however, was born Nara Winstanley. She’s the younger sister of Holden Winstanley, the current Count and head of the Winstanley family.”

The Dragon recited all this as if he was repeating something he’d already said and rather wished he didn’t have to say again. When he finished, he turned an expectant look on Augustus, who sighed and reached into his cache pocket, removing a flattish box about four inches long and two inches wide.

With an apologetic grimace in Pandy’s direction, Augustus opened the box, revealing a mouse. The tiny, gray-furred body was in fairly good shape, though the complete lack of movement and the sunken, staring eyes left no doubt that it was no longer among the living. Pandy suddenly found that the tea – which smelled like flowers and tasted like honey – was no longer as appetizing as it had been and set the cup back into the saucer.

“This is your ‘scurrying creature’,” the chancellor said as he tucked the box away again. “It was a Bound, probably with an Echowretch in it, given that it had to be intelligent enough to get into Thaniel’s room and remove just what it needed from the envelope.  It’s difficult to focus a spell on something so small, so we mostly depend on magic to keep such pests out in the first place. Of course, Bound aren’t affected by most magic. We believe Lamonia snuck this one in, then released it last night, after Matilda gave Thaniel the invitation.”

His mouth twitched. “Actually, we’ve noticed a reduction in the number of pests inside the school since Geraldine’s cat arrived, for which we’re quite grateful. Miss Cupcakes did miss this one, however, which only makes me more inclined to believe that its release was part of a carefully timed and orchestrated plan. One which Lamonia executed perfectly, though unless her breakdown in the boys’ hall was staged for your benefit, she may not be as calculating as we’d believed.”

“But what about the owl?” Pandy demanded.

The chancellor’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “First, the mouse. As you saw, it ran off down the hall, but it didn’t even try to escape. Instead, it ran into one of the rooms on the north side of the hall, where it either jumped or was thrown from the window. It broke its neck upon impact, but its job was done. Either someone in the school now has the piece of the envelope it removed, or it was carrying the paper when it died, and someone or something else came along and retrieved it, because it wasn’t on the body when we discovered it only minutes later.”

“I am inclined to think the latter,” Professor Beeswick put in. “While tracking such things is not part of a Dragon’s extensive skillset, it is my blood, and I’m quite certain I could find it if it was still in the school.”

“Unless it’s now encased in Aetherbane weave,” Augustus said, obviously rehashing a disagreement they’d already gone over at least once. “We know they have some, and that would be the perfect way to hide it.”

“It’s also a dangerous way, and at least some of their operatives are children,” the Dragon said, sipping his tea. “Even if they don’t care about the safety of those children, being discovered with unregistered Aetherbane would raise questions, at the very least.” Looking at Pandy, he added, “I’m quite certain the blood is no longer in the school.”

Augustus set down his cup, rubbing his face with one hand. It wasn’t even eight in the morning yet, and he already looked exhausted. Had he slept at all? “In any case,” he said, “we wanted it to be stolen, though I have to admit I would prefer to have a better idea who all was involved in taking it. I made sure Thaniel took the blood sachet this morning, so if they cast a tracking spell, it will show that he’s exactly where they expect him to be. Make sure you don’t forget it when you trade places this evening.”

Pandy didn’t need to be reminded, and she was pretty sure he knew she didn’t need to be reminded, but when people were as stressed as Augustus looked, they tended to double and triple-check things in order to make sure they weren’t forgetting anything. She knew he didn’t like the plan, which put her at some significant risk of discovery, if not injury, but he wasn’t going to argue about it because she’d volunteered, and it really was the best way to find the real villains.

Nodding, she prompted, “The owl?”

“The owl was not a Bound,” Professor Beeswick said, “We’re not actually certain what it was, but it was either an Air elemental of some kind or a real owl controlled by a Nature elementalist.”

“Either way, it couldn’t enter the boundary marked out by the school’s magic, which was why Lamonia had to hold it outside while she removed the note. Given her reaction upon reading that note, I’m inclined to believe that it told her that either her part in the plan was complete, or at least that this phase of the plan had been successful. I’m intrigued by the fact that you thought she didn’t look entirely pleased, however, Pandora,” Augustus said, picking up his cup and then setting it down again without taking a drink.

“I don’t think she’s really happy about being part of this,” Pandora said. “She’s just a kid. She’s probably really scared, but doesn’t think she can refuse, though-”

The breakfast bell rang, and they all looked up, then stood as one. Professor Beeswick was the first to the door, pausing only to look back at Pandy. With far more earnestness than he usually showed, he said, “I won’t tell you you’re wrong to believe she’s not in this voluntarily, but don’t put yourself in a position where it matters if you are.” He focused on Augustus next, “And try not to put Pandora in a position where it matters if you aren’t.”

Pandy frowned as the Dragon closed the door behind him. She wasn’t quite sure what he meant by all that, but Augustus’s expression had frozen at the final words. She looked from the door to the man, not certain if she should even ask.

Augustus took a step toward the door, then stopped, staring down at his own hands, which were clenched in front of him. Quietly, he said, “I was judge and jury for nearly ten years, Pandora. In the beginning I was like you: trusting and always willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. As time went on, that trust was betrayed over and over and over. I moved too far in the other direction. I made a mistake, and that mistake cost more than I can ever repay.”

Turning back, he looked in Pandy’s general direction, though he didn’t quite meet her eyes. “If I had to make a choice between the boy I started as and the man I became, I would choose the boy. He had so much to learn, but also so much to give. I can’t be him, but I can at least be better than the man.” Raising his head, haunted gray eyes finally met Pandy’s, and he waited.

She wanted to hug him, because however much he denied it, she was certain the boy he spoke of was still inside Augustus. He cared too much about the school, the students, even Pandy herself, for her to believe he’d entirely lost that idealistic child. Misplaced maybe, but not lost. But it wasn’t her place to tell him who he was or wasn’t. He had to figure that out for himself, or it wouldn’t mean anything. She just had to hope that when he did untangle who he was from who he had been, there might be a very small space left in his heart, perfectly Rabbit-sized.

With a shaky smile, Pandy held out her hand and said, “Just remember you don’t have to do it all at once. Or alone.”

Augustus took the hand, and for a moment she thought he would kiss it, and then she thought he would kiss her, and then someone knocked sharply on the door and Pandy poofed back to a rabbit so she could scurry under the table before Mistress Rose opened the door.

“We have several students claiming they’re ill, Mr. Blackwood,” the healer said briskly. “I’ve taken a look at all of them, and found nothing worse than a sore throat and some nausea. I’ve sent them to their rooms, and Timon will bring them medicine and check on them throughout the day. The only reason I bring it to your attention is that there are six of them, and they’re all first-years. If any more cases present themselves throughout the day, we may need to keep the lot of them away from the other students for a few days until everyone has recovered.”

All signs of Augustus’s moment of vulnerability were gone, and he adjusted his glasses on his nose as he flipped through the sheaf of papers Mistress Rose had handed him. When he got to the end, he said, “Lamont and Lamonia Kimball are both ill?”

The healer nodded. “Along with their roommates and a few friends. Mr. Rowe says they’re all usually together both in and out of class, so I’m inclined to believe they’ve simply been exposed to the same minor illness, and will recover in a day or two, especially with some good rest and a few cups of Fumewort tea.”

Augustus grimaced. “I’d get better as quickly as possible if I had to drink Fumewort.”

Smiling serenely, Mistress Rose said, “Exactly so.”

The chancellor’s eyes narrowed. “You think they’re faking.”

The healer tilted her head. “The redness in their throats is quite convincing, I must admit, but usually such things are a bit more staggered. One student will wake up sick, and the next will begin feeling unwell a few hours later. I might get another case that day, and then one or two more the next day. It is… unusual that they all presented with exactly the same degree of illness at exactly the same time.

“I have to admit to being uncertain as to their motivations, however. There are no large projects due today or tomorrow, and we’re still several weeks from end-of-semester testing. They all live in, even though their families have homes in the city, so they may simply be trying to be sent home for the weekend. Perhaps there’s a party or event they don’t want to miss.”

Augustus tapped the papers against his open palm, then handed them back to Mistress Rose. “Thank you for bringing it to my attention. Keep me up to date, especially if the Fumewort is, ah, ineffective.”

The healer nodded and departed, leaving Augustus and Pandy alone again. She hopped back out from under the table, but didn’t shift back to Eurydice. It was time for Bunny to go to breakfast.