Page 21 of Fractured Fates
“This place–”
My friend cuts her off. “We don’t have time to hang about and gossip. We’re expected.” He points towards an entrance. It’s not the main one with its intimidating doors, carved with magical illustrations, but I bet it’s the grandest door she’s passed through nonetheless. Her head tips back as she walks through and another set of guards acknowledge us before their eyes flick with curiosity to the girl. Instinctively, I step to her side and my friend to her other.
“Am I under arrest?” she hisses.
“It depends what the chancellor decides,” my friend replies, his eyes trained forward.
We weave along some side corridors before meeting the main council hallway and climbing the wide sweeping staircase with its red velvet carpet and its golden banisters. Huge paintings hang from the walls depicting legendary battles between magicals from long ago and a huge glass dragon suspends from the ceiling, his ruby eyes gleaming and the fire from its hissing mouth lighting the cavernous space.
At the top, we meet several heavy doors, all carved from walnut wood, each handle formed of a different colored crystal. My friend pauses in front of the first, the handle a deep emerald. Another pair of guards stand either side of the doorway.
He whispers into the wood. Then he turns to me.
“The chancellor will see us now.”
“Now?” The girl gulps. She finally seems nervous. The surroundings have intimidated her.
“Not you,” he tells her. “Us.”
“You? Why doesn’t he want to see me?”
“I have to give my report before he will see you.”
“Oh great,” she says, rolling her eyes.
He glares at her, then, taking her by the elbow, leads her along the hallway to a row of seats. He pushes her down onto the first.
He points a finger in her face. “Stay put.” She rolls her eyes again. “I’m serious.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Although she’s thinking about it.
My friend grunts and marches back to join me. Then we wait for the door to open.
I lean towards him. “Remember that time we got sent to see Principal Jacobs back in Arrow Hart?”
He grunts, his eyes fixed on the door. “We were lucky not to get expelled that day.”
“It was worth it though, wasn’t it? Just to see the look on old Professor Dickwad’s face.”
“He always hated us.”
“He didn’t hate you,” I say, glancing down at my mud-splattered boots and jeans. “You had the right mommy and daddy.”
“Yeah, but he didn’t like the idea of me hanging around with riffraff like you.” The corner of my friend’s mouth tugs upward.
“Yeah, God forbid I might have led you astray.”
“Encouraged me to help turn his precious manuscripts to dust.”
“It was all your idea,” I grumble. “Seems you’re always dragging me into shit.”
My friend turns his head, his eyes sharp on me.
“You think the situation we have here is a shitshow?”
“Fuck,” I whisper, “you have to admit it’s complicated. And you know,” I swallow, “that this isn’t what I wanted. Ever.”
“Me neither,” he says, but I don’t know if I believe him.
