The Inquisitor approached the young man and looked down at him, her expression best fit for some form of excrement to be scraped from one’s shoe.
“If that is truly the case,” the Inquisitor asked, “why is he fully clothed while you are on the ground with your trousers around your ankles?”
The young man swallowed hard and remained silent.
Gavin, meanwhile, turned to Lillian and helped her stand, making sure his robe stayed in place. Once Lillian was standing and her face visible, the blond-haired woman let out a startled cry and rushed to her side.
“Are you okay?” the blond-haired woman asked as she threw her arms around Lillian.
Lillian nodded. She took a couple deep breaths and looked to the Inquisitor. “Don’t believe what he said; Gavin saved me. The one on the ground lured me here, claiming that someone was hurt and needed help. Before I could react, he pulled a scroll and used it to keep me immobile and unresisting.”
The Inquisitor displayed an emotion other than contempt for the first time since her arrival. Her expression softened into an almost-smile. “Of course, he did. No one could take all this in and think otherwise. Besides, Gavin Cross is building a bit of a reputation among certain circles; attacking you like this would be most unlike that reputation. Do you wish to file a formal complaint?”
Lillian nodded. “What do I need to do to file the complaint?”
“Since he’s a student and not a full member of the Society, the necessary forms are in the Collegiate Justice’s office,” the Inquisitor said, before turning to haul the young man to his feet. “Pull up your trousers, and place your hands behind you.”
The young man complied, and the Inquisitor secured his wrists with a binding that dampened magic. Gavin moved to gather the various clothes lying around, but the Inquisitor stopped him with a gesture.
“This is now a crime scene,” the Inquisitor said. “I will task a couple of my fellows to collect and document everything to be retrieved in this area; disturb as little as possible.”
Gavin entered the suite he and Kiri shared with Marcus, after having left Lillian in the infirmary in the care of her friend, the battle-mage of House Cothos. Events had run a little fast, and no one had introduced themselves. Still, wizards’ medallions were-in a way-all the introduction one needed.
“Gavin, is something wrong?”
Gavin looked up to see Kiri facing him, her brow furrowed.
“Yes, Kiri, something is wrong. One of the students in my mentor group was attacked tonight. I believe I managed to stop the attacker before he did anything truly heinous, but the idea that there are people who would use the Art for such purposes has left a rather foul taste in my mouth.”
“Oh, that poor girl…how is she?” Kiri asked.
“She seemed well enough. She’s in the infirmary right now with one of her friends.”
“Gavin,” Kiri said, her tone almost reproving, “I can assure you-no matter how she may seem-she is not ‘well enough.’” Kiri stood in silence for a few moments as she worked her lower lip between her teeth. “I want to see her. I’ve already survived what she’s facing now; perhaps, I can help her through it.”
“Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, re-live all that?”
Kiri held Gavin’s gaze for several moments before she lowered her eyes. “Gavin, I ‘re-live all that’ every time I close my eyes.”
The infirmary at the College of the Arcane occupied half of the fifth floor, two floors above the floor where the suites of the Great Houses of Tel and the magisters were located. The waiting and triage areas were open and welcoming, featuring tall windows for either fresh air or natural sunlight. Doors led out of the waiting area to different sections of rooms, depending on the duration of the patient’s stay or the type of illness/injury involved.
Gavin led Kiri past the reception desk to the hallway for the observation patients; Lillian’s room was Number 5 of that ward.
“Mari, you don’t have to sit with me. I’m fine.” Lillian’s voice was strong and clear as Gavin and Kiri approached her room in the infirmary.
Gavin rapped his knuckles on the doorframe and stepped into view. He saw the blond-haired battle-mage from the gardens sitting beside Lillian’s bed. The moment Gavin rapped his knuckles on the doorframe, he saw Lillian’s back go ramrod straight and her eyes widen a bit. When Lillian shifted her attention to the door and saw him, Gavin watched the tension leave her. Kiri was right; Lillian was not fine.
“Gavin,” Lillian said, letting her head lay back into the pillow once more, “this is Mariana Cothos. Mari, this is Gavin; he’s the mentor assigned to the group Wynn, Braden, and I attend.”
“Some would say stopping a rapist goes a bit beyond the territory of a mentor,” the blond-haired woman said, her eyes locked on Gavin’s medallion.
“Yes, well…it seemed like the thing to do at the time,” Gavin replied with a self-deprecating shrug. “Lillian, my friend would like to speak with you if you feel up to it. She thinks her experience may be of some use to you.”
“Who-” Lillian started to ask, but Gavin stepped aside to reveal Kiri. Lillian’s question died a sudden death as her eyes widened.
“Hello. My name is Kiri. I’m here if you’d like to talk.”
Gavin made eye contact with the blond-haired woman and motioned for her to follow him. He turned and left the room. When the woman followed him into the hall, Gavin pulled the door shut behind them.
“Why did you do that?” the woman asked.
“Why did I do what?”
“Pull me out of there. I was sitting with her tonight in case that guy Reyna took out of the gardens comes for her.”
Gavin chuckled. “Oh, I daresay if he does, he’ll have far more of a nasty surprise than he ever bargained for. Kiri isn’t defenseless; she just doesn’t carry a blade. Besides, Lillian was being strong for you. If you had stayed, I doubt Kiri would be able to get her to face what she’s feeling.”
“What makes you think she was faking being strong?”
“Didn’t you see how she tensed when I knocked on the doorframe? Kiri will help her. Come on. We’ll sit in the waiting area at the end of the hall.”
The blond-haired woman extended her right hand, saying, “Thank you for saving Lillian; she’s almost a little sister to me.”
Gavin shook her hand. “It was my pleasure. No one should use the Art to prey on others as he did.”
Chapter 25
Lillian crossed her arms over her midriff as she looked at the slave. Stop that; her name is Kiri. Why did Gavin have to take Mariana? It was so much easier to be strong for her.
“I’m fine, Kiri,” Lillian said, forcing her voice level and strong.
Kiri nodded, saying, “Very well,” as she walked around the bed to sit in the chair Mariana had just vacated. Lillian watched Kiri work her lower lip between her teeth for a few moments before lifting her eyes to meet Lillian’s.
“It was a little over two years ago when my father sent me away to Tel. The reasons are immaterial, at this point, but the ship sank. I don’t know how I survived, but I did. I washed ashore on a piece of driftwood, barely alive and bewildered that I hadn’t drowned.
“I was still getting my feet under me when a group of people found me. I thought they would help me; I was supposed to meet friends of my father in Tel Mivar, who would’ve paid them for their assistance I’m sure. Instead, they branded me…and spent the night taking turns with me. The women in their party even helped them hold me down. They didn’t have a scroll of paralysis, you see.”
“H-h-how did you know about that?”