The Unmaking (The Last Days of Tian Di, #2)(13)

At this, all of Nell’s group looked very curious and waited for more. But there was no more.

“What about your family?” one of Nell’s friends asked Charlie flirtatiously.

“Oh, them,” said Charlie vaguely, and left it at that.

“How have you been getting on at school?” Nell asked Eliza. Their breakfast conversations were always coded in this way.

“Lots of new stuff,” said Eliza. “But Kyreth and I are still arguing a lot.”

“He’s the principal at her school,” Nell tossed off by way of explanation to the others.

“You argue with the principal?” one of the girls asked, perplexed.

“All the time,” said Eliza. “But the librarian is a prize. Lah, but you know what’s strange? I ran into...the agriculture teacher a couple of times, and he was being sort of...friendly, aye.”

By this she meant Obrad, the manipulator of earth. Nell picked up on it immediately.

“Oh-oh,” she said, making a little O with her mouth. “That cannay be good!”

“What do you mean?”

Nell shot Charlie a pointed look. He sighed resignedly and struck up a separate conversation with the girls around them so that Eliza and Nell could talk more freely.

“What do you mean?” hissed Eliza again.

“I mean that he missed his chance with your ma when she snuck off and married your da,” Nell whispered. “But praps he thinks he can still marry a Sorceress. As in, you!”

This had never occurred to Eliza and she was left quite speechless with horror. Charlie heard it even though he was carrying on another conversation, and exploded, “WHAT?”

This caused a number of the students at the tables around theirs, as well as a few breakfast monitors, to look over at them. “What?” he hissed, more quietly.

“That’s how it works, nay?” said Nell. “You are supposed to marry one of them, lah!”

She glared at Charlie, who went back to his conversation with the startled group of girls. “Anyway, the royal family of Boqua doesnay want anybody to know that their son was born with six fingers on each hand because they’re very superstitious about that kind of thing down there...”

“It’s a great honour for the Mancer in question, nay?” Nell whispered into Eliza’s ear, around a mouthful of buttery toast. “You said Obrad wasnay happy about being passed over before. Do they let you have any say in it, lah? Are there any young and handsome Mancers or are they all hundreds of years old and scary looking?”

Eliza had gone quite white. “I feel sick,” she said, pushing her breakfast tray aside. Having finished her own breakfast, Nell piled Eliza’s plate on top of her own and began on what was left of Eliza’s.

“You should rebel, aye,” said Nell. “Your ma had the right idea.”

“I agree,” said Charlie, interrupting his own story again.

“Lah, and speaking of young and handsome, there’s Julian.” Nell waved over a blond boy with his tie still undone. “He’s my boyfriend, aye. I’ll introduce you.”

“WHAT?” Charlie exploded again.

“Stop it. Everybody’s looking at you. He’s in the year above me. Top in Math in the school, aye, and the fastest swimmer in his year. A coup, nay?”

“Is that...allowed?” asked Eliza, quite unprepared for this. Julian sat down with them, smiling in a friendly, half-awake sort of way. Eliza and Charlie eyed him suspiciously. After that, of course, they had to talk to Julian about the swim team and his plans for Winter Festival.

Nell had classes after breakfast and so Charlie and Eliza rested in her room. When the cleaner came by they hid in the large oak wardrobe, Nell’s dresses hanging down around them, trying not to breathe too loudly. As soon as they heard the door click shut as the cleaner departed, Charlie said, “What did you think of Julian?”

“He seems...nice,” said Eliza uncertainly.

“She’s never mentioned him before, lah.”

“No. I spose he’s a new...development.”

“Why do you sound like that?”

“Like what?”

“The way you sound – ‘He seems...nice. He’s a new...development.’ ”

“It’s just...surprising.”

“Yes. That’s what it is, aye. Surprising.”

They sat in the wardrobe a minute longer, until Charlie said, “Why are we still sitting in here?”

Eliza got the giggles and they pushed the doors open and scrambled out. At noon, Nell burst in with some lunch for them.

“By the Ancients, they’re piling on the tests before Winter Festival!” she groaned, flopping onto the bed. “Were you two horrendously bored, cooped up here all morning?”

“We kept ourselves entertained, lah,” said Charlie. “I turned into a river goblin to scare the cleaner. That was fun.”

“You didnay,” Nell grinned. “And I wouldnay have approved if you had. Esta is my source of insider gossip. Now, I need to talk to Eliza privately for a minute.”

She looked pointedly at Charlie, who stared back at her, confused.

“Could you leave the room, please?” said Nell politely. “Just for a minute.”

“What for?” asked Charlie.