Bloodrage - Helen Harper Page 0,84
began to appear up in front of me. This was a true country inn; the sort that townies would travel miles and miles for, in order to enjoy an ‘authentic experience’. What the owners of it thought of their more regular clientele from the academy I could only begin to wonder.
As I neared the building, the letters on the old-fashioned hanging sign began to become more legible. ‘The Ball and Chain’. Hmmm. Would that be the crystal ball and the mages’ slavery chain, then? I snickered quietly to myself, before entering. Thomas was already up at the bar, hunched over a pint of something amber-coloured and frothy. He looked odd out of his robes, in that strange way that teachers always seemed to do when you caught them out of their natural environment of school. I beckoned over the barman and requested the same as Thomas was having, then settled down myself. It felt damn good to be out of the academy – and without any other tasks or problems or counselling sessions to have to worry about.
“Hey,” I said, aiming for light and friendly. Clearly, I could do chatty small talk with the best of them.
“Hey,” Thomas greeted me back. Well, at least he wasn’t much better.
The barman set the brimming pint in front of me. I took a sip and then leaned back on the stool, eyes closing momentarily in pleasure. Yeah, Corrigan and his mates could keep their champagne and caviar lifestyle. A pint of beer and a bag of pork scratchings would more than do me. I sipped again and sighed and sighed happily.
“So, do you come here often?”
I looked up at Thomas and then realised what I’d just said, and began to snort with laughter. He grinned back at me and batted his eyelashes dramatically. I snorted harder, fighting to retain control of myself then clinked my glass against his.
“I actually try and avoid it as much as possible during the week,” he said seriously once I’d managed to calm down somewhat. “It’s generally not a good thing to be here when the students are.”
I eyed him carefully. “So, given the chance, you wouldn’t, er, you know, liaise with a student?” Thinking of Brock, I figured that the least I could do was to be absolutely sure that Thomas was immune to the charms of Deborah.
“Liaise?” He looked remarkably offended. “Is that what you think of me?”
“No, no,” I protested. “It’s just…” I blew air out the corner of my mouth. “It’s just that one of the girls likes you, you know, in that way, and one of the boys likes her, and I want her to like him, but…” my voice trailed off.
He stared at me. “Fucking hell, Mack. Less than three weeks and you’re already fully embedded in teen drama town. Do you not have anything better to do?”
“Hey, I need some distraction and entertainment if I’m going to make it through the next five years.” That thought depressed me. “Sorry, let’s change the subject.”
Thomas was silent for a moment, as if considering something very deeply. Then he tightened his grip on the glass, and twisted round to look me in the eye. “No, let’s not. Look, Mack, I really am sorry for how I treated you when you arrived. I’m not proud of it. You’re in a shitty position and, other than a few rather spectacular blow-outs, I think you’re doing really well.”
I smiled at him, but didn’t say anything, curious about where he was heading.
“Not only that, but you’re helping the kids out with those Protection lessons. The Founder knows I’d love to be able to teach them the way that you are. Of course, we’re bound by the curriculum the Dean sets out.”
“You sound bitter about it.”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong, there are things that I definitely wish were different. But the Dean’s really okay.”
I must have looked skeptical because he stared at me seriously. “No, really I mean it. He is good at his job. He cares about his students and about his teachers. But he doesn’t like the Arch-Mage and you’re kind of His Magnificence’s pet project. So it probably wouldn’t matter what you did or who you are, he’d want you out of here.”
“That’s just not fair,” I pointed out.
Thomas laughed. “Come on, Mack, surely you know by now that the last thing life is, is fair? Has it never occurred to you that maybe it suits the Arch-Mage just as well having you here? He’s not